I was only in second grade; there wasn’t much I had to worry about. My mom picked me up from school that day, a good thing I thought. I jumped in the car ready to be home for the weekend. instead I heard exactly what I didn’t want to hear. She had such a sad look on her face, like the life was being drained out of her. Even I could tell something was wrong, so naturally I asked.
I wasn’t ready to hear it though, I refused to believe it. She was fine the night before! Ruby had been part of my family since I was born, she was a dog, but she was special. It was so sudden, one day she just started to have trouble walking and when I came home from school she was in the hospital. I was so little I didn’t understand how she could possibly be so sick so fast, but she had cancer and there was nothing that could be done to help her.
“Tic, tic, tic” like a clock I heard in my head, “The time I had left with Ruby was closing in,” I thought.
I pleaded that night to go see her one last time while she was still alive but my parents wouldn’t let me. They didn’t think it would help.
When they got home that night it was after I had already gone to bed. When I woke up the next morning my mom and dad were both home.
My mom started off, “Last night Ruby died; they put her to sleep.”


“Can we wake her up?”
It got silent, so silent you could hear a pin clink to the floor.
I didn’t understand what she was saying, I was only eight. I thought she meant they gave her a shot to make her sleep and then she would eventually wake up. Then I thought about the first part of what she said.
Ruby died. I just kept repeating it over and over in my head. I realized by saying that they put Ruby to sleep meant that they killed her.
After I thought all that through in my head I asked, “Why? Why did they kill her?”
“It wasn’t like that,” my mom tried to explain.
“She was lying though, she had to b. It wasn’t fair!” I thought.
Tears streamed down my face like a waterfall; my life would never be the same. I could feel my face was wet from the constant tears. Things were going to change for me……I could tell.
Ruby’s death to this day still makes me sad, although I can talk about it without crying. I tear up a little thinking about it but I know she loved my family and will always be with me FOREVER.